Oh Hey, I’m on the Kindle
So, I’m still sort of shocked that people actually bought paper copies of my thesis, “Facebook, Twitter and Barack Obama: New media and the 2008 Presidential Election,” considering it’s 60+ pages of econometric analysis and only a couple of bad “friending / liking” jokes. Seriously, I feel slightly bad for the people now suffering through my “pretend I know something about regression analysis” stage (don’t we all have one of those, though)?
Anyway, always being one to give the people what they want (and also curious to check out the e-publishing process itself), I’m happy to announce that my thesis is now available on Kindle! Yes that means that you can take me and my multiple-variable probit equations with you wherever you go: on the metro, on vacation, or snuggled up in bed.
It’s available at the low, low price of $2.99 (that’s like 0.0004% of the cost of a degree from Georgetown), and accessible in the US Store, the UK Store and the Germany Store.
Thus far it’s sold three copies. I only have two parents, so that means some random person is reading my sweet-little-econometric-nothings somewhere out there in the world. It’s currently ranked #78 in the “Elections: Bestsellers” category, just one spot behind “The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star.” If nothing else, shouldn’t that be good motivation to buy my Kindle book?
Overnight Busrides in India
Shameless plug, but check out my first Huffington Post article on my experiences on overnight buses in India!
TBD.com and the Hyperlocal Future of Journalism
I spend a lot of time thinking about how digital technologies are changing the shape of media today (in fact I wrote a thesis about its political implications — if you have the energy and lack-of-foresight to want to read it, check out Facebook, Twitter and Barack Obama: New media and the 2008 Presidential Election). One of the best sources discussing this today is Leo Laporte’s This Week in Google Podcast featuring Gina Trapani and Jeff Jarvis. Jarvis is an especially prescient voice in the future of media, so I was excited when he mentioned TBD.com as a site that shows a possible future for journalism.
Stemming from the new-media axiom focus on what you do best, and link to the rest, TBD is enrolling local bloggers from the DC area to help provide well-rounded coverage of the nation’s capital. Affiliated with the people behind Politico, they do have full-time writers on staff, but they’ve also partnered with over 100 local blogs — with foci ranging from food to politics to crime — to help paint a more complete picture.
This leads to a media strategy that focuses on the “hyperlocal” while still covering a broad area of topics. This, in and of itself is nice, but not completely revolutionary — it’s the relationship with bloggers is where TBD stands out. Rather than hosting an entire post on TBD (and thus monetizing other’s work) as is Huffington Post’s MO, TBD provides a headline and then a link to the blog of origin. This means that rather than trying to usurp any interesting content, TBD becomes a launching-pad for discovering local news and providing a hub-and-spoke model for directing readers directly to the writers.
I’ve just joined the TBD blog network, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this experiment in fusing new media and economic comparative advantage in forging a new model for journalism. Will it succeed? I think so, but for now it remains TBD.
Thank you, Facebook, for reinforcing my Georgetown is preppy stereotypes.
Episode 14 of The AshokaTECH Podcast: Marc Maxson of Global Giving
Check out the latest episode of the AshokaTECH Podcast where Marc Maxson of GlobalGiving and I discuss storytelling in Kenya, “Beer for Data” in Afghanistan and the latest trends in monitoring and evaluating non-profits. You can also download the podcast in iTunes (Link opens iTunes).
Not only was Leo Laporte — founder of the TWiT Network, and host of “The Tech Guy” radio show — kind enough to join me for the AshokaTECH Podcast, he also livestreamed our chat. Thanks to one of Leo’s amazing fans, the video from our interview was also recorded.
I spend hours per week commuting and at the gym listening to Leo’s podcasts so to be able to speak with him was a huge honor. In this interview we discuss how technology is giving people everywhere a voice, and the transition from being passive media consumers to content creators.
If you want to download the audio episode of the podcast, check out the AshokaTECH Podcast page in iTunes or the Official AshokaTECH Podcast Site. The video stream is below:
My Interview with Leo Laporte from Budak on Vimeo.
Thesis Time
When I posted the abstract for my thesis last month, I was surprised and flattered by how many people expressed an interest in reading it. I don’t expect you to read through all 55 pages of econometric analysis, but if you’re interested I’ve posted the whole thesis up on the site. I’d love it if you checked it out, and any feedback or comments you have would definitely be appreciated. You can find my thesis, “Facebook, Twitter and Barack Obama: New media and the 2008 Presidential election” at http://unpoppedcollar.com/thesis. Happy Reading!
Episode 12 of The AshokaTECH Podcast: Martin Fisher, cofounder of Kickstart
For those of you interested in international development, you should definitely check out the most recent episode of the AshokaTECH Podcast: my interview with Martin Fisher, the cofounder of Kickstart. In it we talk about the work he is doing in Africa bringing simple technological advances to rural farmers — helping them become more efficient and effective at their work and as a result lifting them out of poverty. I also talked with him about his strategies for economic development more broadly, and how we can do “real good” work and not just “feel good” work. Check it out — I think you’ll enjoy it.
Budak's Tumblr: From SF, but living in DC. Social Entrepreneur and Travel Writer. I like adventures, roadtrips, photography, California and empanadas.
